The Stag and the Sparrow
by Only Mostly Evil
Summary: Shikamaru never payed much attention to Neji and his mannerisms. But now it seems he's noticing that not only is Neji one of the toughest people he knows, but also the hardest to get. Shikamaru x Neji


**Notes: **_I'm not entirely experienced in writing these things, so forgive me if I seem a little off. I try to keep all the characters as canon as possible. Gentle crits are appreciated._

**Disclaimers: **_No matter how much I wish, the characters used will always belong to their respectful creator._

**Dedications: **_To my friend Kale, who got me hooked on this pairing. ;3_

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Neji was a very pretty young man. It was a widely known fact. He looked more feminine than any other male he knew and the girls never missed a chance to point that out. Today, it was his cousin's turn.

"Neji-kun?" she chirped, smiling timidly as she usually did. Hinata would never hurt a fly, this was true, but sweet girl or not, she'd never miss a chance to pick on Neji a little bit.

"Yes?" came Neji's brisk reply. He often still spoke to her with such a hasty, impatient tone, but it was more out of habit than a feeling of true annoyance or spite. Hinata knew that, so she pardoned it without much upset.

"C-can I braid your hair?" Hinata asked.

Neji, who had been doing a bit of target practice, froze in place. She was behind him, so she couldn't see the exasperated expression on his face as he sighed and lowered his right arm - the hand of which held two freshly sharpened shuriken for throwing. "Hinata-hime..."

"...please?" Oh, he could just _hear _her smiling and it made his eye twitch.

"No."

"But-"

"I said no, Hime."

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It was a usual spring day in Konohagakure. The weather was mild, if a little humid from a recent bout of cold storms, and a few clouds were brushed across the blue heavens as if Sai had been let loose to decorate the day.

Shikamaru was playing Shogi alone, as he often did since the passing of his sensei. He found that it was somehow a little more challenging when he was playing against his own ridiculously high IQ. Sure, he played with his father from time to time and Choji made for an amusing game partner, but neither of them really provided the challenge his brain craved. And it was just too much trouble to seek out someone with any kind of moderate knowledge. Especially these days when his friends were more busy with their own personal affairs rather than the entertainment quota of their very own Nara.

He folded his arms behind his head, leaning back against the grainy wooden wall of a small tea shop deep within the belly of Konoha's massive city. It was amazing how the Leaf Village was so steeped within tradition, while only having small touches of the industrial development that nearby villages such as Rain possessed. From what he'd seen in his travels as a shinobi; Sunagakure and Mizugakure had the most industrial touches.

Development like that just took away from the environment. It was something he loved about his home village - that they weren't heading particularly fast down the road of technological advancement, but that they allowed all the medical expertise that rivaled many other villages.

Cigarette between his lips, a puff of smoke drifted through his nose as he exhaled a sigh and closed his dark eyes. No one seemed to have gotten close enough to his face to see just what color they were, and from a distance they appeared black. He didn't mind a bit of mystery. It excused him from having to explain how he got such an eye color when neither of his parents seemed to sport it.

About the time he was nearing sleep, cigarette gone, he heard the familiar voice of a certain male Hyuuga. Shikamaru opened one eye to watch as Neji wandered along the street with a shopping basket hanging from his fingers. As Neji conversed with a young shopkeeper, Shikamaru noticed that something she had said had made Neji chuckle. Neji had an almost charming smile. It was an expression that he didn't often wear, and when it made its appearance it was only for a short time and for a very special occasion. Shikamaru had never noticed it before, but now that he had, he wondered why. There didn't seem to be any logical explanation as to why he'd suddenly notice just how pretty Neji seemed to be. He didn't spend much time people-watching, preferring to spend all his free time sleeping, but he supposed there were things about all of his friends that he'd never really paid any attention to.

"Hey, Neji," Shikamaru called out, sitting up and sliding the Shogi pieces off the board and into a box.

Neji looked away from the shopkeeper and lifted a thin brow. "Hello, Shikamaru." He had such an unusual way of speaking. At least to Shikamaru's ears. It was almost as if Neji's desire to be important came through in that voice. A coldness and authority that Neji wished he had. Shikamaru frowned at his own deductions and put on a smirk.

"You busy?" A rhetorical question, which Neji regarded with a little skepticism.

"Actually, I was on my way back to the estate." The Hyuuga estates. Now that he was closer, Shikamaru spotted a few household necessities in the basket; bread, milk, things of the sort. Neji's curiosity had been sparked. Shikamaru didn't often talk to him without a reason outside of missions, so the Hyuuga wondered vaguely what Shikamaru wanted.

"Ah... Any time for a game?" Shikamaru gestured to the Shogi board as he lit another cigarette with the other hand. "Playing by myself gets really freaking boring," he drawled.

Neji enjoyed hearing Shikamaru speak, if only for the odd mannerisms and the way he chose short words to make for less actual speech. So undignified and casual, yet still very interesting to listen to.

"I... suppose so." Neji had little experience with Shogi, but he remembered how to play, so he sat down on the other side of the game board and set the basket down next to him.

Shikamaru smiled, "I got black."

"Why black?" Neji didn't mind, but he was curious as to the choice.

"Black is stealthy. It slips in unnoticed and gets the job done," Shikamaru explained simply.

"What does that make white?"

"Not sure. You're side's white, so it's your interpretation, not mine." Shikamaru shrugged, setting the pieces in their places.

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"Neji, you're late." Hiashi lifted a brow when he saw the young man entering the gate a good two hours after being sent out for very simple items.

"I'm sorry, uncle," Neji bowed his head, "I got a bit caught up in a conversation."

Hiashi wasn't a fool. Neji rarely 'conversed' with anyone, let alone did he get 'caught up' in anything. But he didn't press the subject and instead he nodded back toward the Branch House, "Kishu is waiting for you. She's already complained to be about you being late, so I expect you to explain to her just why you made her wait so long," he said. Though he and Neji were on friendly terms now, and had been for years, he still maintained his dominance over the Branch member by keeping his demeanor authoritative.

Neji bowed again respectfully before hurrying off to help his own small family prepare dinner.

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Shikamaru spent the rest of his evening reflecting on the conversation held between himself and Neji. He'd learned so much in such a short time and found that Neji was a truly fascinating and complex man. There seemed to be a reason for all his actions, he was amazingly articulate and his intelligence almost seemed to rival Shikamaru's own. He had known Neji was a prodigy, but he had no experience to back up what people said until now. Their conversation was, if anything, bewilderingly insightful.


End file.
